


The hidden confession within the poisonous blossoms

by Haya_dono



Category: Twisted-Wonderland (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Childhood Friends, Alternate Universe - College/University, F/M, Fluff, Language of Flowers, hanakotoba
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-12
Updated: 2021-03-18
Packaged: 2021-03-19 06:08:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,900
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29995038
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Haya_dono/pseuds/Haya_dono
Summary: As flowers represent one's feelings, it is up to one to read between the lines, the hidden confession within those beautiful blooms.Vil Schoenheit, a misunderstood actor, had a fateful meeting with someone who adored his work, her words latching in his heart even as they were separated.However, now a university student, he finds he cannot forget her and secretly hopes to meet her once more.A University AU where Vil first met Ann Hawthorne when they were children, and this meeting would have an impact on their lives to come.
Relationships: Vil Schoenheit/Original Character(s), Vil Schoenheit/Original Female Character(s)
Kudos: 14





	1. Cyclamen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cyclamen means resignation and goodbye.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to polyphenols for beta-reading this!

The fluttering snow fell on the beautiful stony path. Vil usually took this route, it was less crowed and quieter than the main route the other kids would pick. It wasn't that he wouldn't be able to defend himself, as he had told that kid Jack the other day. Vil was proficient in boxing and fencing, and he could easily beat anyone who tried picking a fight. It was simply that he preferred the quiet of this road, with no hushed murmurs trailing his footsteps, no scornful eyes and pointing fingers on his back.

"Ah, you! You appeared on TV yesterday!" A girl with bright green eyes and a mole under her right one, long brown wood-colored hair pointed at Vil, and the boy stopped in his tracks. He didn't want to find a new route again, he thought as the girl ran closer to him. "I have a question. Why? Why was Wickham so mean to Laurent?"

"Eh?"

"Isn't he lonely? If he acts like that, people won't like him. So why is he mean?"

"...I can't tell you."

"Eh?" The girl tilted her head, moving closer to Vil, unaware that she might be rude. "Why not?"

He was expecting her to call him a bully or yell at him for those mean things he said in the show, not asking him a thousand questions he couldn’t answer anyway.

"I'm not supposed to say before the episode airs."

"Awwww..." the young girl pouted, as she puffed her red cheeks. "How long will it take?"

Vil shook his head, and she puffed her cheeks even more.

"You will have to wait for the next episode."

"But that's not until next week!"

The girl wasn't the patient kind. But Vil wouldn't tell her the answers to her questions, no matter how similar to a chipmunk she looked.

"Will he get a friend?"

Good question.

He didn't know.

"If he needs a friend, I'm Ann!" The girl gave Vil a big bright smile.

"That...it doesn't work like that."

What a weird girl. She wanted to befriend Wickham, the bully.

"It's ok, I can be your friend too!"

"...I'm Vil...thank you."

And she wanted to befriend Vil too.

* * *

"You look scary on TV, but you're actually really nice, hehe!" Ann laughed as she walked by Vil's side. He winced at her words, staying behind as he tried to hide the hurt from his eyes.

"...Do I look like a bully...?"

"Huh? Not really? Just because Wickham is mean doesn't mean you are! But uhhh, how to say it? You looked a bit lonely. Mama says you should be nice to everyone, especially those who look sad. But she told me I sometimes am too direct and I have to pay attention and not upset others. Uh, am I upsetting you?"

Direct was an understatement.

The second time she met him, she got really close to him and said, "Woah, your eyes are really pretty! You look like a doll with those frilly dresses! But you speak funny like an adult! Like you're 50!"

"That's rude! I'm older than you, and you should pay attention to how you talk."

But he didn't mind.

"You're not bothering me. But I didn't look lonely back then, I like to walk home quietly. This road isn't as crowded and the view is prettier."

The road was flanked on one side by several bushes and flowers of different colors and shapes. Not only that, but as one went up the hill leading to the residential area, one could come across a small patch of flowers that he sometimes liked to tend when no one was looking.

"Huh…It didn't look like that to me," Ann cocked her head to one side, her gaze sharp and inquisitive, making him turn away. However, she giggled as she drew closer to him. "It's ok, I don't mind walking home with you on this road, Vil!"

Even though Vil huffed and increased his pace, pink cheeks hidden under his big scarf, he didn't mind walking home with her either.

* * *

"Don't cry," an older Vil, fourteen years old, said as he patted Ann's back. The young girl refused to let go, his words making her cry even louder. "We can stay in touch."

She mumbled between tears, something trying to sound like 'I promise to watch all your films! And I'll write you always!' but he couldn't be so sure.

Her family was moving away due to her father's job, something about researching plants for medicine. It wasn't certain when they would come back, if they did at all. Thus, this was a hard farewell, with the uncertainty of the future from one's first love.

"I'll watch when you receive your award! And you better call my name, even if I'm just your annoying neighbor!"

He had kept hold of his tears, Ann crying for the both of them. Still, he couldn't ignore the hole in his heart as he saw her tear-stained face from the car window as he bid goodbye to his friend.

In the end, there were no letters.

Vil himself moved to other parts of the world, traveling with his father wherever he had a shoot, and he never knew where she had lived. It was before easier methods to connect were prominent, and once he had found a way, he couldn't even reach her.

In the end, there were no awards either.

He wouldn't be able to keep hold of that one-sided promise, for better or worse. Vil thought it was how things were meant to be, sometimes you worked hard and it would lead to nothing.

Still he would sometimes wonder as he looked at the stars if she still remembered him. Even if it was a silly thought and he was Vil Schoenheit, no matter how much he asked the stars, he wouldn't get a reply, he wouldn't get an award, he wouldn't get what he wanted.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!


	2. Lilac

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lilac means pride, beauty, and the first emotions of love.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to polyphenols for beta-reading this!

Vil carefully arranged the glass material on his side of the table, he liked to prepare everything before he started an experiment or procedure. It was this fussiness, among other qualities, which had earned him a prized spot in the Magical Pharmaceuticals lab at the most prestigious University in the land of Pyroxene.

The recently appointed lead researcher had come back from his eight-year trip around the world to his _alma mater_ , after developing a revolutionary way to harvest and safely grow plants unsuited to the cold climates of the Land of Pyroxene without consuming much magical power. His research on several flowers from other lands with particular healing properties had caught the interest of many, Vil included.

Some of these plants were highly poisonous, but with careful use they could be applied in something beneficial, like targeted drugs or even organic composition to clear one's skin. Vil, a master poisoner and cosmetologist, would clearly be interested, and quickly worked hard to be accepted as a student of his.

"Ah, Schoenheit-kun, you're up early today," the acclaimed professor, Elias Hawthorne, entered the lab, devoid of anyone but the young man himself. After all, it was 7 in the morning on a cold day and most people would want to arrive when the weather was kinder.

"Good morning Professor," Vil greeted. "I have to finish my workload for the week. I have an upcoming shoot, so I have to finish it as fast as possible."

"Right, right. You're studying here to get your degree, but you're also a famous actor. My daughter is a big fan of yours, she's watched all the movies and shows you appeared in."

"You flatter me too much," Vil replied with a smile.

"I'm sure she would want to meet you. I might be asking for a lot, but could I present you to her when they all arrive? I want to surprise her."

Vil nodded, he wasn't that fond of surprise or private meetings with his fans, but he guessed he owed it to Professor Hawthorne. He had been accepted into this lab and the professor, a family man himself, had treated him like a second son. He figured he could entertain this request, as the professor constantly talked of his 'baby girl' and making her happy would mean a happy Professor. He just hoped she was a normal fan and not some of the deranged ones he had come across.

"Your family is moving back at the end of the semester, right?"

"Yeah, my baby girl is finishing her last year of high school and will be studying here. My wife is staying with our kids in the Afterglow Savannah, finishing her research there in the meantime, while I moved ahead. I already had prepared a surprise for my wife and son, but I was missing one for my little princess. You're a lifesaver, Schoenheit-kun!"

* * *

The weather was usually harsh around this time of the year, but It felt this January was even worse. January was a month with constant snow that would halt most activities, yet young Vil’s hard work never stopped. That was why he had missed the state of the flowery path that Ann and sometimes Jack liked to visit. The entire landscape had turned white, almost desolate, and one would even question why they had gone there, to that small patch where flowers used to be.

It was why Vil couldn’t take his eyes of what laid in front of him.

A beautiful purple flower reminiscent of a rose blooming proudly amidst the snow.

The Christmas Rose or hellebore.

He had always marveled at the elegance with which it presented itself, even if it was a blossom that was hardly accompanied by leaves. They were always warned of the poison inside the flowers, perhaps not enough to cause death, but serious enough to need a doctor. It had only been left around due to old traditions, it was commonly used in summoning rituals and because of that, it was good for keeping spirits away. His father had told Vil once that they needed the hellebore, even if its role seemed scary.

The sepals of the flower could attract spirits and retain them inside. If they were evil, the plant would produce poison, and thus, it was used to protect places from any evil spirits roaming. Whether kids understood the role it played or were afraid of it, in the end, they had all grown used to simply ignoring it.

Thus, it was always left alone, untouched.

“You really like flowers, don’t you, Vil?” Ann said, kneeling next to him. “Your eyes are sparkling.” Her smile was soft and her face had a tint of pink, eyes on him instead of the purple rose.

“Do you find it weird?”

“I don’t think it’s weird, flowers are very pretty. I like them too!”

“Did you know this plant attracts spirits? That’s why you use it at times in summoning magic! Father told me that the Beautiful Queen had them in her garden, in case she needed to call for a powerful being. It’s also very beautiful, and it would be fitting for her. You also use it in invisibility potions and in poison making. You have to be careful if you’re treating it because…” He stopped abruptly, realizing he had suddenly run his mouth. He always did it when he was excited about something, and unfortunately, not many shared his interests. “Sorry,” he cleared his throat. “I didn’t mean to ramble, especially about a poisonous flower.”

But Ann shook her head. “I like listening to you, you’re very smart, Vil! And it’s not like the flower wants to be mean.”

“Eh?” Vil’s eyebrows were knit together as she smiled at him.

“The flower becomes poisonous if it captures evil ghosts, right? Then that means the flower is protecting us!

“I’m not sure if it’s the case…but it would be nice if that was true,” his voice trailed as he rested his gaze once more on the hellebore.

“I’m sure of it! And I’m sure the flower is happy we visited it!”

Vil chuckled quietly as he gently patted Ann’s head. “You’re a strange girl.”

“Hey, that’s rude!” she grumbled as she pursed her lips.

“You’re strange because you don’t mind hanging out with me,” he thought to himself, but he didn’t say anything more and instead chose to gently ruffle her hair.

* * *

Since university wasn't that far from home, Vil often drove back and forth, not needing to rent or live on campus. Even if people in his neighborhood had a chill opinion of him, it also meant he was left mostly alone. That was a blessing, as he wasn't that bothered by others, in spite of his celebrity status. That said, he didn't talk much to his neighbors and was mostly left in the dark about the happenings of the neighborhood, especially when he was busy with his work or school. That was why he was unaware of someone moving in the neighborhood, the ruckus caused by the moving truck interrupting the calmness of his afternoon walk.

'A new family,' he imagined but didn't pay more attention to them, as he was busy thinking of his upcoming schedule in the new semester. Soon he arrived at the familiar entrance of his house with the familiar wintersweets he had prided himself for having cultivated. The perseverance Vil wanted to show to himself and the world, that his hard work would eventually come to fruition, was represented by these bushes he diligently cared for.

The plant would survive and bloom in the harsh winter of the Land of Pyroxene, just like him. After everything that he had gone through, he would bloom in his winter yet to come.

"Ah, I have seen this plant before," the voice of a girl interrupted his thoughts, a lone figure in front of one of the bushes at the entrance, marveling at the sight of them. "I want to see then bloom, ahhh winter can't come sooner!"

"Excuse me, but what exactly are you doing in my house?" Vil asked, not wanting to entertain a rude person.

"S-sorry, I didn't mean to........V-Vil...? Is that you?"

A mole under her lime green right eye, long dark wood-colored brown hair, an infuriatingly cheeky bright smile.

"Are you...?"

The image of that young girl from years ago flashed in front of him.

"D-do you remember me? I'm Ann! We hung out when we were kids!" She held her hand over her chest.

"...You..." He whispered as he stared at the young woman that the crying girl had grown into. "You're back...!"

He didn't have any time to react, her eyes brightening at his recollection of her as she hugged Vil tightly, the last time they held each other like this was seemingly just the day before and not something that happened eight years ago.

"I'm glad you remember me! I missed you so much! I thought you'd have forgotten about me but..."

Time stopped as his heart trembled, his face showing a complex expression as he recalled the small blossom of his first love.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!


	3. Zinnia

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zinnia represents the thought of absent friends.  
> "I mourn your absence."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to polyphenols for beta-reading this!

The two kids were close to Vil’s house when Ann abruptly stopped. She seemed to have had something on her mind for a while now, but she hadn’t said anything yet.

“Hey Vil...” she puffed her cheeks like a squirrel, her frown making her look oddly cute. "Why is your name so weird?"

"What do you mean it's weird?" Vil asked, his tone dropping as something close to fear filled his heart.

Did she realize it looked similar to the word 'evil'? Or even worse, it started with the same as the word 'villain', as some of his classmates had realized and had begun to whisper "Villain Vil" or "Vil the Villain" when he walked by.

It was a name his father had chosen for him and he had never thought much about it, only treasuring it with the love a son had for his doting parent. Yet everyone had managed to taint it with evil or the heaviness of fate, as if he was doomed to be the villain forever.

"Vil?" Ann asked, waving her hand in front of his eyes. "You spaced out. Are you okay?"

"...It's nothing. What were you saying?"

Ann furrowed her brow and puffed even more her cheeks. "Your name is weird, I can't spell it!"

"Huh?" Vil cocked his head in confusion. "It's just three letters long."

But Ann shook her head rapidly, making a mess of her hairdo, not that it wasn't already falling apart. "No, Vil is cute. I'm talking about your last name! Sheen...hide...Shin high..."

"Schoenheit...?"

"Yes! It's weird! I saw it on the credits but it looked so complicated, it doesn't even look how you pronounce it!"

Vil blinked for a moment, then let out a laugh of relief, smiling faintly.

"What, is it so funny? I'm serious!"

"You're silly," he said between chuckles, his cheeks a glossy pink that lifted his face up, the first time in a while he felt so complimented and relieved. "Try after me. Schoen-heit."

"Shine-high."

"Schoenheit."

"Shining."

"That's not even close."

Ann pouted, clearly embarrassed. "I'm always calling you Vil then! And when I write your name down, I'm calling you Vil with the funny last name!" She folded her hands, though it was hard to take her tantrum seriously. And it would take her a long time to even teach her the first half of his name right.

But Vil didn't mind at all.

* * *

“How have you been? You look even more beautiful in person! I missed you so much but I’m glad you’re looking good!” Ann suddenly bombarded Vil with half-questions and half-proper sentences as he rolled his eyes playfully.

“You’re answering most of the questions yourself, Ann,” he chided her almost playfully, quietly examining her. She was the same kid as before, though taller, having grown into a young woman.

“Sorry, I’m just glad I could find you! I was worried that you had moved away and I couldn’t meet you again, even if we had been back to our old neighborhood.”

Her concerns had some weight, Vil living temporarily with his father overseas during his extensive film shootings when he was younger. However, at the age of twenty, Vil had chosen to stay in the same house of his childhood while he obtained his degree. Even if he pursued a career in acting, he also wanted to further his education in Magical Pharmaceuticals as he didn’t like leaving things to fate and preferred to have several options to fall back on.

“Well, I’m staying here for now. I’m studying at Perovskia University, while I continue my acting and modelling jobs.”

“Ah!” she screamed and beamed a bright smile. “I’ll be studying there soon! I’ll be in the Arts department, but if I want to, I can try finding you on campus! You can also teach me all the places, I wouldn’t mind a tour, hehe.”

“Fufu, wouldn’t you want a tour guide? If I recall correctly, you were never good with directions. Are you sure you want to try looking for me? I have the feeling you’ll get lost as soon as you leave the Arts building.”

“That’s!” she mumbled, as her cheeks grew red. Jackpot.

“I am rather interested, why were you looking at the blossoms in my garden? You weren’t sure if I still lived here, so…” He leaned close to her, with the dangerous smile reminiscent of a cat toying with his prey. “Perhaps you got lost on your way home?”

The crimson in her face told Vil everything he needed to know as he chuckled to himself. “Maybe you need my assistance to find your house. If you behave, I might give you a tour, but my schedule is busy, fufu.”

“Ann! Where are you?” The sound of a male’s voice reached their ears, as the girl turned to see a young man, older than Vil in the middle of the road, looking for someone. “Ah, it’s my brother! Wait, shit! Have I been out for so long? Ahhh, uhhh, I have to go back to help unpacking, but once we’re done, I’m definitely looking for you, Vil! You better show me the campus!”

With another quick hug, Ann bid him a brief goodbye and ran towards her brother, Vil staring for a moment at her back, before heading inside his home. It was not until he reached his peaceful room that he noticed his stammering heart.

* * *

Sitting on his sofa in his luxurious bedroom in Pomefiore, Vil picked up his phone and casually looked at his fan mail. While he wasn't the most popular celebrity in the land, that title having remained under Neige's belt for years now unfortunately, he still had five million followers and thousands of fans.

He received a lot of letters, some online from his fanclub and some physical that were sent to his agency. It was a large volume, and Adella had offered to help check their contents and give him a monthly report. Vil didn't send any particular personal reply, so it didn't matter in the end who read them, as long as their feelings reached him.

However, Vil took his time to read the letters, just as he read the comments he received in his posts and photos. It wasn't always pleasant, sometimes he would come across mean-spirited messages, but he was a professional and he had already heard them before, so if anything, they were lacking in creativity.

"Nothing..." he mumbled to himself, as he closed the fanclub app, staring at his phone deep in thought. Once more the letter he had hoped would arrive had been missing from his inbox, and even if he had told himself it was silly to cling to an old promise made by children, the feelings of disappointment and sadness remained.

" _Roi du poison_." Rook knocked on his door before entering, his eyes laying briefly on the phone Vil sill held in hand. "The audition is about to start. Do you need more time to check your email?"

"No, I'm done," Vil said as he put away his phone with a swift move. He didn’t know if the hunter suspected anything, the man had a keen insight and knew a lot of details about Vil that it wouldn’t be a stretch to imagine Rook making his own assumptions. However, there was little merit to telling him. Rook wasn’t a detective and he wouldn’t be able to find someone whose whereabouts were unknown to him.

So, same as he had done all these years, Vil put the thoughts of his fanmail away for a moment as he focused on the task at hand, keeping that faint flame of hope alit in his heart.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!
> 
> Perovskia is a flower native of southwest and central Asia. It was discovered in the 19th century and was named after a Russian General, Vasily Alekseevich Perovsky. Probably because of the name's origin, it is called Russian sage, but it's not native to Russia and it's also not a sage plant. It smells similar to sage, and it looks like Lavender, except it is poisonous lol  
> However, it was used for remedies by Russian soldiers and it symbolizes wisdom and knowledge.
> 
> I know the start has been slow, but the pace will pick up in the next chapter. Again, thank you for reading!


	4. Freesia

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Freesia means freedom, innocence, friendship, thoughtfulness and trust.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to polyphenols for beta-reading this!

Vil had been asked by Professor Hawthorne to meet his daughter once she was done with her Orientation ceremony. He looked at his phone, he didn’t want to be rude to the professor, but she was taking far too long. Even if he didn’t have something for once scheduled in the afternoon, he wasn’t thrilled to spend the rare day off he had waiting for someone he didn’t even know.

There was a knock on the door, and suddenly, someone stormed in, huffing between short breaths, “S-sorry Dad, I got lost trying to find the building! I brought the papers you asked…for…Vil….?” Ann’s figure stopped in front of Vil, almost dropping the folder she was holding, barely catching it clumsily.

“Ann, don’t tell me…” Vil began, but he was interrupted by Professor Hawthorne coming out of his office.

“Ann, darling, I want you to meet my student, he’s the famous actor you’re a big fan of….Why don’t you look surprised…? Wait, don’t tell me my perfect plan was ruined?!” Professor Hawthorne’s face went from ecstatic to absolute dread in a matter of seconds that would have impressed Vil if the situation wasn’t so surreal.

“No, no, Dad!” Ann hurried to say. “I didn’t know Vil was your student! I just didn’t imagine I would find him here.”

“What do you mean ‘find him here’?”

“We met they day of her arrival to the neighborhood. I wasn’t aware that she was the daughter you talked to me about,” Vil calmly explained. “I was surprised to see an old friend back after many years.”

"You two knew each other…?" Professor Hawthorne asked, switching his gaze between both youths.

"I told you before, Dad! I had made a friend here, the boy I walked back with from school..." Ann huffed, almost puffing her cheeks, in that tone when someone was about to be horribly embarrassed and had no way to stop it.

Ann puffing cheeks reminded him of the young girl who would constantly do it, old habits died hard, it seemed.

"I thought your friend's name was Schneeheide? Or something like that. We couldn't understand you the first time you mentioned his name."

"Schneeheide...?" Vil arched an eyebrow as he glanced at a rapidly increasing mortified Ann.

"Ahaha, Ann could never pronounce your name right, so we tried to guess!" Professor Hawthorne laughed merrily back to his carefree disposition, unlike she who looked ready to disappear by any minute, her cheeks a deep shade of red Vil had never seen before. It was true that baby Ann had difficulty saying his name, or remembering it properly but Schneeheide? Really?

"No wonder why we couldn't find him anywhere when we looked his name up, a child actor Schneeheide. We thought you had made up an imaginary friend and we wanted to foster your creativity, so we went along the story. Though I guess it makes sense, haha! Your usual story ideas were very vivid, but when you told us about your friend, they were unusually tame."

There were no words to describe the mortified look in Ann’s face, a mix of deep embarrassment, confused panic, and almost stoic acceptance of her shattering dignity. On second thought, it was most likely resignation, the kind you couldn’t even get angry about and Vil almost felt sorry for her. _Almost_. He wasn't even trying to hide his smug smile as their conversation was interrupted by a phone call to the professor while Ann was probably wishing for the earth to gobble her up.

"Am I your imaginary friend, Schneeheide? Fufufu," he said, lifting her chin with his finger, as she let out an amusing squeak.

"I was ten! And your name is too hard!" Fumbling her reply, she had a hard time looking him in the eye.

"Should I be angry that your tales about me were common and not embellished stories?" This would be blackmail material for centuries.

"S-shut up!"

"Fufufu, I wonder if I am real now? What do you think?" He leaned closer to her, his finger never leaving her chin and their faces mere centimeters apart.

"Good mor-ah...I think I'm interrupting something..." The voice of Trey could be heard, startling both Vil and Ann, as he quietly crossed the door and went to his usual place in the lab. Which happened to be on the other side of the room, thus needing to walk between the embarrassed couple. "Don't mind me, keep doing your thing, you two," he said, casually waving his hand as he passed along.

"We're not doing anything!" Ann and Vil replied at the same time, quickly moving away from one another, a little too late.

"Sure," Trey said, setting a beaker and a Bunsen burner on the table. "Keep not doing anything then." The cool student put his safety glasses on, and calmly proceeded to turn it on. Yet the moment they thought he was going to mind his business, he waved his hand. “Please continue, pretend I’m not here.”

With the knowing gaze of Trey, Vil knew he wouldn’t hear the end of it for the rest of the semester that had just started, because once Trey Clover had something on you, you were ruined. Without wanting to give Trey more material for him to tease Vil for life, he took Ann by the wrist and pulled her out of the lab, to the small garden leading to the building.

“You’re Professor Hawthorne’s daughter.”

“He talked to you about me, oh no…” she said, covering her mouth in dreadful despair.

“You talked about me to your father, with the wrong name, by the way.” He waved his hand, dismissing her fears, but that made the look on her face even worse.

“That’s like nothing similar. Also, I can write it now! But that’s not the point! Vil, look, I don’t know what kind of stories he told you, but the one about the explosion at the Atlantica Museum was an accident. I wasn’t near the cauldron!”

He chuckled, his eyes glinting in almost sadistic glee. “So you’re a criminal, hmmm. Wouldn’t have expected it from the sweet and gentle Ann of my memories.” He shouldn’t be teasing his friend this much, but something inside him just felt very compelled to do it.

“That’s not fair! I didn’t commit any crimes!”

He leaned close to her, almost as close as he had been before Trey got the dirt on him for a lifetime, and it was equally tempting to kiss her. Or that was the thought that crossed his mind for one minute, before he quickly discarded the idea and decided to generously give her a break.

With a familiar hair ruffling, he smiled gently at her as he said, “Relax. He hasn’t told me any embarrassing stories about you _yet_.”

“I’m almost tempted to tell them to you myself, but you’re already mocking me. I don’t want to give you a loaded gun.”

“Fufufu, do you think I would make use of it against my cute childhood friend?”

Ann turned away, her face burning and wearing that cute pout of hers. “I swear you’re like a million times worse.”

“Just a million times? You need to up your game to flatter me, Ann,” he hummed. “Besides, I’m helping the professor give a great surprise to his beloved baby girl. He asked me to present myself to his daughter, who happens to be a great fan of mine.” With an elegant bow, his hand over his heart, he said with a stunning smile, “My name is Vil Schoenheit, an actor and fashion model. I am also one of the members of the Magical Pharmaceuticals laboratory in Perovskia University, under the tutelage of Professor Hawthorne. Nice to meet you, Ann Hawthorne.”

The colors that flashed in her face were actually rather pretty and it was a shame he wasn’t filming her, but at the end of his introduction, she was close to fuming, her mouth contorted in a mix of an anguished and embarrassed attempt of a smile.

“You’re terrible! The worst! But two can play the same game, Vil Schoenheit!” Ann moved closer to him, looking up to meet his gaze, because she was much shorter than him, and even more with him wearing heels. “My name is Ann Hawthorne, and I have been your fan since your debut as the cute Wickham. I’m very happy to have you as my surprise, and I’ll be even happier if we go eat a burger together~”

“Wait, I didn’t agree to that.”

“That’s what you get for teasing me.” She poked him in the chest, and he was only letting her do so because they knew each other. “I’m just kidding, though. I know you have a lot of fans, so asking me out would cause you a lot of trouble. I don’t plan on ruining the career you’ve worked so hard to get, but I won’t say no to a chocolate bar you can give me as an apology for having the time of your life at my expense.”

Vil smacked her gently on her head. “Ara ara, look who is getting too ahead of herself. You’ll need to earn my favor so I can give you a reward.”

“Don’t I get any points for being your childhood friend?”

“Fufufu, as far as I know, you hung out with a Vil Schneeheide, not Schoenheit. Work hard to impress me, Ann.” With a haughty smirk and a playful ruffle of her hair that somehow made it look less disheveled than before, he went back to the lab, followed shortly by her.

* * *

A younger Ann was waiting for Vil at the end of the street. Vil had taken a small detour before meeting her, retouching the color on his lips, a dark red lipstick on hand. He had just recently tried wearing it, after several weeks of toying with the idea and being unable to decide. He had seen his beloved father wearing it and enjoyed watching the make-up artists work their magic on him. If he liked it a lot, it would be reasonable that he could try it, right?

"Ah, Vil... is that thing on your lips make-up?" was the first thing that came from her mouth, the moment he arrived at their meeting point, her green eyes staring holes into his lips.

Vil resisted the urge to cover his face his hand, breathing deeply as he wiped away the hesitation. “...Yeah...I wanted to try it."

Would she mock him like some of his classmates did? Call him names just because he liked something that girls did?

Instead, she got very close to him, eyes fixed on his lips, almost wanting to touch them, though Vil wouldn’t let her. "I think Mama has that color! It's so pretty and it looks so nice on you! Hehe!" she replied with a toothy smile.

"You're the first one to say that..." he mumbled to himself, though he couldn’t hide his relief as he cleared his voice. "I think it suits me well! I like make-up! It can quickly change who you are depending on how you use it."

"I thought you wore it to be pretty?" She cocked her head in confusion.

"Dad can change in a second with make-up! He can be a hero or a young man in seconds. If he wants a casual look, or an elegant or mysterious one, he can do it." Vil's voice grew enthusiastic and Ann looked at him, absolutely confused but at the same time very invested in hearing him talk. "If you play with the eyeshadow or the lipstick, you can get different results. I haven't tried that much but it's fascinating! I want to be beautiful, and if I wear make-up, I can be as beautiful as I want to be!" Vil's eyes shone brightly, before realizing he had rambled for a moment.

"I don't get it!" Ann chirped with a cheeky smile. "But as long as you're happy, that's good! I like seeing you so excited even if I didn't understand anything!"

"Do you not wear your mother's make-up?"

Ann shook her head, some hair strands falling across her face. "I tried it but it's a pain to take it off! I don't wanna waste time with it, I want to play my game and advance in the story! Vil, do you like games?"

"Huh, like videogames?"

She nodded vigorously, her hair even messier now.

“I haven't played them, sorry.”

“Awwww,” she whimpered as her smile turned into a big pout. “I wanted to show you one….Hmmmm, if I find one about make-up, will you play it with me?” Ann leaned forward, looking expectantly at him.

A game about make-up. Vil wasn’t sure if he had ever heard about one, but if Ann managed to find one, fine, he would play with her. Perhaps teach her a thing or two as well. He nodded and she laughed brightly.

Perhaps she didn’t find Vil wearing lipstick unusual as she didn’t have common interests herself. Videogames, manga, anime. He knew from her that she stuck out in her own class because of the things she liked and didn’t have a lot of common ground with the other girls and boys. But whatever the reason, Vil found it reassuring that she didn’t judge him and was happy to see him do what he loved. If she was an odd girl, he didn’t mind either.

* * *

“I still can’t believe you knew my daughter when you were kids,” Professor Hawthorne said wistfully as he brewed his coffee. The man wasn’t a morning person, so he needed a good hefty dose of caffeine to not fall asleep. Vil himself would take tea and Trey was fine with either. The sweet biscuits Trey had brought were a good addition to get everyone ready for a long day of work.

Speaking of the biscuits, Vil was thinking of cursing one of them to wipe that smirk off Trey’s face. Even if he hadn’t mentioned anything about Professor Hawthorne’s surprise to his daughter the next day, his old friend would wear an annoying smirk every time Ann’s name was brought up.

“I wasn’t aware she was your daughter, Professor,” Vil said, not before sending a murderous gaze to Trey.

“She did mention you a lot, now that I think about it. You two walked home from school, though she sometimes mentioned you were busy with work.” Professor Hawthorne rubbed his chin as he reminisced on his daughter’s childhood. “It does explain why she was so insistent on going to the movies when we moved away.”

“You’ve acted in many movies these past years, right Vil?” Trey smoothly interjected. “Did Ann-chan watch them all?”

That was it, Trey Clover was a dead man.

“This brings back memories. My princess would beg us to watch Vil’s newest film, each time with a different person. When she was older, she would go to the cinema after school for the entire run of your movie. Before I came back to the Land of Pyroxene, you had starred in a movie where your character died, Schoenheit-kun. One time, she came home crying and we all got very worried about her, thinking someone had harmed her. We then noticed she was carrying a bucket of popcorn. After that, whenever she came home crying, we asked her how the movie was, and she would cry even more.”

Trey almost choked on his tea, not bothering to hide a big, dangerous smile definitely aimed at Vil. Vil, on the other hand, looked as calm and perfectly poised as always, while inside he had a massive desire to both smack and tease Ann for her generous contribution to his movies.

“I’m grateful for your support,” he said, skillfully hiding his feelings and the murderous glare at Trey when he heard his friend snort. “I wasn’t aware of how much of a big fan Ann was of my works.”

“Oh? I wouldn’t say she was a fan of your works but Ngh!” Trey began, but a well-placed stomp from Vil’s heel put him in his place. “She likes tragedy!” he hurried to add.

“Well, my baby Ann is so focused, she got it from her mother,” the Professor said, almost obliviously, to Vil’s relief. “Once something is on her mind, she won’t stop to achieve it. She’s always drawing, but recently she’s been working on a manga of hers. But she won’t tell me what it was about.” The Professor let out a long sigh and pouted briefly. “I understand a young lady has a right to privacy, but she could at least tell me what it is about.” The Professor’s phone alarm rang, a sign that he should get going for his next class. “I guess it’s time to go to class. Thank you again for the biscuits, Clover-kun, we’re in for a long day at work!”

Once the Professor had left the lab and Vil judged he was far enough already, he said with a dangerous smile, “Unless you don’t want to die a horrible and slow death, you better watch your tongue, Trey.”

“Would you kill a man for his honesty? Besides, if I die, who is going to bake you all those sweet cakes you are so fond of?” Trey took a sip of his tea, calmly, but that was the training he got from handling Riddle all of these years. He also knew that deep down, Vil was a softie and he would probably not murder him.

“Hmph, your loss as a _pâtissier_ would be certainly missed.”

“Only as a _pâtissier_ and not your trusty confidant and guide in love? Vil, you know how to hurt a man.”

“What is this nonsense about love?”

“Think of me as your older brother, after all, even if you’re popular, no one would believe you are the cute Schneehehe-hahaha!” Trey began laughing and of course he would never live it down. In turn, he wouldn’t let Ann live that down.

Supposedly that nickname was going to be a secret between them, but Trey and his cursed nose for all types of tea had him find this out ridiculously fast. And of course, he couldn’t say the damn name without laughing or without teasing him. It was true that Trey had had a couple of relationships, unlike Vil’s impressive record of zero, and he was Vil’s senior in that regard. However, Trey was absolutely mistaken if he was involved with something like love at this point in his life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Schneeheide is actually German for the Winter heath.  
> Thank you for reading!


End file.
